The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of apparatus for a beam warping machine for lifting-in and lifting-out the warp beam and for feeding and uniformly pressing a contact or press roll against the warp beam during operation of the machine and for lift-off of the contact or press roll.
Generally speaking, the apparatus of the present development comprises lift forks or fork members which are pivotable about a rotational axis and serving for the lifting-in and lifting-out of the warp beam. Further, there are provided a pair of press or contact roll arms which radially protrude away from a common shaft coaxially arranged with respect to the aforementioned rotational axis and are rigidly connected for rotation with such shaft, these pair of press roll arms serving for the advancing and lifting-off of the press or contact roll which is mounted between these arms.
In the case of beam warping machines employing a direct drive, the warp beam is directly placed into rotation by means of its shaft, whereas in the case of beam warping machines working with indirect drive, the rotation of the warp beam is accomplished at its circumference with the aid of a drive drum. This drive drum, apart from accomplishing the circumferential drive, simultaneously also insures for the requisite density of the wound-up threads or the like. In the case of beam warping machines with direct drive, a cylindrical roll, the so-called press or contact roll, serves to produce the required density of the threads during their winding-up onto the warp beam. This press or contact roll, during the warping operation, is pressed with a uniform pressure against the warp beam and while maintaining the same contact pressure moves in accordance with the increasing diameter of the warp beam. In order to lift-in and lift-out the empty and/or full warp beam, the contact or press roll, as a rule, can be lifted into a rest or idle position.
Additionally, with beam warping machines of the aforementioned two species there are provided, as a general rule, devices in order to raise from the floor or ground an empty beam which has been rolled into the machine up to an elevational position where it coacts with laterally engageable clamping and entrainment devices which are used during the warping operation.
Heretofore, there were employed for the lifting-in and lifting-out of the warp beam and for the advancing and lifting-off of the press or contact roll, rods and drive devices (lift cylinder) which were independent of one another. Since these devices had to transmit appreciable forces, their components must be correspondingly dimensioned. Hence, there resulted complicated and correspondingly expensive constructions for each of both such devices.
This is also the case, for instance, with the construction proposed in Swiss Pat. No. 432,406, wherein by virtue of the fact that both the lifting lever for the warp beam and also the arms of the press roll are arranged upon a single shaft, there is realized a certain simplification of the transmission elements, but wherein however there are required separate controls and lift cylinder for the actuation of each of both devices, and thus just as was previously the case, requires a considerable expenditure.
The heretofore known devices additionally have common to them the drawback that the possibility afforded by the construction of independently as well as also simultaneously actuating both of the devices, requires appreciable safety measures in order to exclude to the extent possible faulty manipulations.